Learning to be Helpless

Abstract

We have all experienced feelings of helplessness at one time or other in our lives. The feelings are not pleasant. They are experienced when we are unable to control what happens to us, when whatever we do seems to have no effect on events. For most people this is a temporary state of affairs, associated perhaps with a mild bout of depression. But for some people feelings of helplessness persist, even when events are, in fact, potentially within their control.